[PRIVATE] A Rogue's Light

[VitanisMate]

Mufalfa coughed and said, "Oh nothing just don't worry about it."

[Nakisisa]

"Ohh, Ok" Ra said placing her head down again, licking her paws.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga was completely baffled. In the space of minutes, the lions and lionesses he knew had changed dramatically, and these two newcomers seemed to be causing everyone serious issues.

As such, Tanga could only watch helplessly as Kioja and Kamau started tearing the pride he had become a part of apart. Imani seemed particularly irritated, and almost scared, of Kamau, as it was revealed he was her brother, along with Ra's.

Then Imani's mood snapped, and she scolded Kamau for abandoning her, and their parents, in their time of need. In that moment, Tanga realised...this was what Imani had hidden from him for those months, that one subject she had always avoided, no matter how Tanga had approached it...and now he knew why.

As Imani left the scene, speaking of how she was going to abandon everyone as well, Tanga knew she had meant it as a cold-hearted joke, but if he did not help her, there was every chance she could be deadly serious, too. With an apologetic look to his friends, Auni in particular, Tanga headed off after her. He had just proposed to her, and she had accepted...he was not going to abandon her now.

Following her to a small hill that overlooked the pride he had briefly been part of, he saw Imani sit down. For a few moments he hung back, trying to figure out what to say to her to help.

In the end, he made his choice, and moved up the hill himself, sitting down beside her, remaining silent as he just sat close, the wind ruffling his mane as he watched the lands he had once called home, letting his presence do the comforting, rather than the voice.

[VitanisMate]

Mufalfa laughed at Tanga's departure. "Going to cheer her up again lover boy? My goodness. I think she just does that to get you to cry in her face." Mufalfa started laughing unable to help himself.

"Yep I am pretty sure you would go over there if she got a thorn in her paw. I mean my goodness." He kept laughing. He looked at Kioja wondering if she even knew how cruel he could really be. He wondered if she knew just how mean.

He wondered whether Tanga even heard him. He kept laughing about all that he said not even sure why he was even laughing.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Kioja overlooked the whole situation. She couldn't quite read how Tanga nor Imani were, and she didn't know about Ra either. She was however getting quite upset with how Ra was allowing that rat Mulfalfa to basically insult her sister and let him get away with it. And all for something like a father for her cubs? Ra sure didn't have good taste in males, in her opinion.

She then turned her attention to Kamau who looked conflicted as to what to do with his sister. Never had she seen him like this. Of course, she always knew he was naturally an animal so that entailed him to have emotions without a doubt, but never as the leader of a large pride of his expanding family did he show emotion like this. Though it was minor, it was a start. Meanwhile, Mulfalfa was becoming more and more of an annoyance but she only started to clean herself and ignore him which would be easy since she was used to ignoring pests near her.

-----

"I'm fine" she mumbled, keeping her eyes locked on some of the small stones in front of her paws. Though she was a small lioness, she always had big feet-- matched the size of her heart at times. She used those large paws to lightly bat some of the grains of dust around underneath her and attempt to distract herself.

[VitanisMate]

Mufalfa laughed even more trying to get the new female involved in it. "Come on Kioja why don't you finish this new game for me. Imani and Tanga sitting in a tree,...." He laughed again. He knew she was ignoring him but he wondered how long she could do that. "Quite the silent type aren' t we my pet Kioja. We are quite quiet." He started to smile. "Perhaps I know something you don't."

Mufalfa continued watching Tanga and Imani which of course was not his business. He cared not however what was or wasn't his business to everybody else. "So you never answered the question Kioja as to why you came here. What is your purpose? Is it just to annoy me or is their actually a good purpose seeping through that cold muzzle of yours." He continued smiling at how annoying he must be to her. "Surely a lioness of your skill would not be here to see the odd family reunion or to see lovebirds kiss and make up? Come on Kioja throw me a bone here?"

He kept laughing enjoying his unruly behavior. His old self started to pop up and he felt more alive. He did not feel weak anymore. He felt like he could conquer anything.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga sighed as Imani mumbled two words at him. Imani may be a good actress, but Tanga was starting to learn to read her a little better, and in this situation, she definitely was not bothering to fully hide her troubled nature.

"We both know you're not fine, Imani," he said softly, trying not to sound cold about it, but rather caring and concerned for his new mate. "But if you don't want to talk about it, I won't press you. Just know that I'm here for you...no matter what."

He once more turned his attention out to the land spread before them...a land that was a reminder of his troubled past, and at the same time, a reminder of everything he had gained. "I used to live in this place, you know. Just before I met you...there's a pride down here that took me in for a short time."

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Kioja continued to lick her paws and then drag them along the top of her head. She didn't care about Mulfalfa and she could tell by his excessive talking that he was looking to get a rise out of her, but she wasn't going to give it to him. She was, of course and after all, used to being in these kinds of situations. What he said was true: she was the strong and silent type, and if he was the smart type (which he wasn't) he would have payed heed to his words about her being a dangerous lioness to be around and shut his mouth. No matter, he'll get it soon enough. If not from Kamau, Ra, Imani, Tanga, or...that other male beside me, she looked to the side and over the tanned male she sat down beside. He still had his eyes on her but she turned her head away and started to lick her shoulder, then I'll do it. She continued to clean herself before she turned her head to look over the situation with Tanga and Imani. Once it got too boring for her to watch, she turned her head to her pride leader, looking him over. "So what is your plan with your sister?"

-----

Aside from nodding her head, and playing with the earth under her paws, she perked her ears back up when he spoke about this land being his home. She couldn't relate to him on that topic, since her and Ra were always on the move from home to home and never had time to call a place their own home. "Which pride?"

[AustralianChaos]

He noticed Imani's ears perk up as he talked about the pride that called this land home, and decided it might help her to get a little distracted from today's events. "They call themselves the Pridelanders, and this place before us is the Pridelands." He raised a paw to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked out across the lands, spotting a distant, familiar shape on the horizon.

He pointed it out to Imani. "That shape off in the distance is called Pride Rock, it's where they live. I do not know too much about them, though...as I've said several times before, they never really accepted me. Although, that was probably just as much my fault as theirs...I think you'll remember how shy and evasive I was when we first met, and I was like that when I was here, too. I never approached any of the other members of the pride to talk, and they never came to see me...except the cubs."

A smile came on Tanga's face as he thought of the cubs this place had held, and what they were all like now. But he looked towards the rest of their group, spotting Ra in particular. "I guess my time in this land taught me that I really like cubs...and I can't wait to see what Ra's little ones are like."

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

The thought of cubs instantly brought Imani to the girlish fantasy of seeing her and Tanga's children. She could picture it now: two girls, and a boy. The girls would be Tanga's colors, while the boy would have hers. All of them having Tanga's beautiful blue hues. They would be happy, free, and a well-structured family.

When she returned back to reality, and looked at Ra's belly, she turned her head away. Children means responsibility, and hard work, and dedication. I wonder how long it would take me to grow up to even come close to a child in a mothering way rather than a playmate, she thought. The thought of being an adult scared her, and she barely wanted to reflect on her age.

"Well, at least you had a home for a bit" she chirped in after her long thinking.